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Alice is the oldest living pianist and oldest living holocaust survivor. At 109 she is still playing and still spunky!

I had the great pleasure of reviewing an advance copy of this movie a couple of months ago. It will be available to the public shortly. In the meantime, read what Nick Reed the Producer has to say about Alice and about the movie (starts below the trailer).Be Sure to Watch The Trailer!

The Lady in Number 6 is one of the most inspirational, uplifting stories of the year. 109 year old, Alice Herz Sommer is the world’s oldest pianist and oldest holocaust survivor in the world. She shares her views on how to live a long happy life. She discusses the importance of music, laughter and having an optimistic outlook on life. The film feature beautiful photographs and rare film footage that truly brings her amazing story to life.

"The film is finally finished and we promise you it has been worth the wait. I am in awe at the photographs and some of the 70 year old film footage that our researchers have found. If you want to learn some invaluable lessons about how to live longer and live happier, Alice Herz Sommer is a master teacher. I have seen this film a 100 times and its power, like the power of music grabs me every time and keeps me coming back for more."

"Kids all over the world grow up on superheroes, what we their parents must remind them, is documentaries tell stories about "real superheroes." Superheroes are based on great people, real people like Alice Herz Sommer." – Nicholas Reed, Producer

In the meantime, I ordered her biography, and it should arrive today. Can't wait to read it! The snippets I read when I picked one to order leave me in awe. She has been through so much - it really puts things in perspective.

HI, I am Nick Reed one of the Producers of the film, and the film will be playing festivals and then later in the year will be available on DVD. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life making this film. We will be putting up more content from the film and we will be sharing it with Piano World and please sign up at nickreedent.com to receive emails directly. Thanks for your good words. Alice is a truly an original and she is living proof that music is truly that should be in everyone's life!!!!! Thank you Nick Reed

Nick Reed Producer of the Alice film, Mark - " The music in the camps was not a false sense of security, it inspired the soul, it gave hope, it hardened their prisoners resolve. "

As the Jews were being transferred into the camps and separated into groups to live or die the music was playing to calm. The Nazis used it as a tool. You can sugar coat it anyway you want, but that is how it was used...

From music of the holocaust:

The musicians’ main duties, however, were to provide background music for incoming and outgoing work commandos at the camp gates, and to perform music to accompany executions that were staged, as a deterrent, before the entire camp population. In the death camps, particularly Birkenau, the prisoner orchestras performed under the most inhuman of circumstances, something that caused some surviving musicians to experience feelings of guilt and depression for the rest of their lives. Some bands had to play in connection with the so-called selection process: this was supposed to deceive the newly-arriving prisoners into thinking that they did not face immediate death. A few orchestra members even had to play near the crematorium at the command of the SS. It remains clear, however, that the arrival of new transports, the selections or the walk into the gas chamber were not as a matter of principle accompanied by music, but only occasionally.

wow.If I live that long I have 30 + years to perfect my playing, how awesome is that! I told my sons that music was the most perfect art, and they are all musicians ! Must get a copy of that movie just asap.